Initial plans for a rapid transit system in Kharkiv were made when the city was the capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

However, after the capital moved to Kyiv in 1934 and Kharkiv suffered heavy destruction during World War II, a rapid transit system was dropped from the agenda.

[14] In September 2023 small schools were created in five metro stations so that education would continue during the ongoing Russian bombing of Kharkiv.

[15] In September 2023 the remaining Russian-language inscriptions then still visible on the walls of Kharkiv metro stations were replaced with ones in the Ukrainian language.

[17] On 26 July 2024, the stations Heroiv Pratsi, Zavod Imeni Malysheva and Prospekt Haharina were renamed to Saltivska, Zavodska, and Levada respectively.

It is the oldest and the longest line in the Kharkiv Metro with the highest ridership rates and shortest time intervals.

It replaced, partially or completely, the tram and trolleybus lines with the highest passenger ridership at the time of its construction.

Although the ridership pattern has changed considerably since then, the line remains the most important route for passenger transportation in the city.

Such trips are usually made around 2–3 p.m. and late in the evening to replace trains on the line or withdraw them to the depot for the night service period, as access is available only through the Turboatom station.

The line cuts Kharkiv roughly along the northeast-southwest axis starting in the city center and ends in the Saltivka neighborhood in the North-East.

However, it was supposed to be located far from the main points of passenger attraction, such as industrial areas, transport hubs, leisure facilities and the like.

The south-north branch was never constructed due to financial difficulties and is currently substituted by route 24 of the Kharkiv Trolleybus.

After a short visit to Zhuravlivka at Kyivska, the line crosses the Kharkiv River via the metro bridge and enters the Saltivka neighborhood.

The rest of the stations, from Akademika Barabashova to Saltivska are located within the neighborhood, laid approximately at the same (shallow) depth.

The market operates from roughly 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., increasing the passenger traffic considerably during the morning rush hours, especially on Wednesday, traditionally the discounts day.

Starting from 2001, because of power supply issues, every fourth train that operated on the line between rush hours served only the Istorychnyi Muzei – Akademika Barabashova segment.

On Easter night from 19 to 20 April 2009 (from 00:30 to 02:00), a concert of the academic symphony orchestra of the Kharkiv Philharmonic Society under the direction of conductor Yuri Yanko took place on the platform of the Universytet station.

At the beginning of August 2009, in the lobby of the Universytet station, on the 34th anniversary of the completion of its construction, a monument to the metro builder was unveiled, immediately nicknamed the "Tin Woodman".

The monument represents a post-constructivist "worker" made from scraps of metal and springs, pierced by a rail, wearing an orange construction helmet.

Kharkiv was the first metro to exhibit the single vault design of the shallow type (for technical details, see Skhodnenskaya).

The metro is served by two depots which have a total of 320 carriages forming 59 five-car trainsets (all of the platforms are exactly 100 metres (330 ft) long).

In 2020, Chinese manufacturer CRRC Tangshan was selected as the winner of a contract to supply eight five-car trainsets for the Kharkiv metro, which were scheduled for delivery in 2022.

The ride can be paid for by: E-Ticket cards or paper barcode tickets can be purchased using terminals installed on stations.